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Live: Google unveils Android experiences for home, car

Wearable technology and a new foray into television are expected to take center stage on Wednesday when Google kicks off its I/O developers conference in San Francisco. USA TODAY will have updates from

Wearable technology and a new foray into television are expected to take center stage on Wednesday when Google kicks off its I/O developers conference in San Francisco.

USA TODAY will have updates from Google's opening keynote beginning at noon ET.

Pichai wraps up

Google ends the keynote by giving all developers in the audience a free smartwatch. Thanks for joining us.

Google Play Games upgrades

Users will soon have profiles that recognize games they like and recommend similar titles. It will also boast cloud-based saves. Pichai says Google has paid $5 billion to all developers through Google Play since last year's I/O, 2.5 times the growth year over year.

In shape with Google Fit

Powers details a preview of the Google Fit platform, which can give developers a complete picture of a user's fitness and create comprehensive apps to fit their users. It will allow users to share their activity with any apps, but will require their explicit permission. Adidas and Nike will work with Fit.

What's new with Google Play

Ellie Powers, Product Manager of Google Play, appears to highlight changes to Google's Android app store. The company will partner with Appurify to improve app testing for developers, as well as performance results. It's available to Android developers as a "freemium" service.

More helpful tools for devs

The Google Cloud Dataflow feature allow developers to analyzes huge chunks of data to use in their apps. They demonstrate this using millions of tweets from the World Cup. Developers simply create their code, and Dataflow quickly reads and analyzes results. In this case, it records the average number of tweets per World Cup team.

Protesters join the show

It appears a protester is in the audience disrupting the keynote. It appears the "guest" has been escorted away. It's the second time this happened during the keynote.

Inside Google Cloud

Developers take a look at the Google Cloud Platform, which helps scale their apps and services to larger groups. The platform was used to power voting for the ABC reality TV series Rising Star.

Android L to unify home and work

Pichai says Android devices will work better at combining home and work, so users don't need multiple devices. Personal data will be separated and secure from work, PIchai says. Samsung will contribute its Knox security service to work on the Android platform. Big for enterprise. Mobile devices on Android will include a Slide app for presentations and native Office editing.

Mobile apps available on Chromebook

Pichai says more mobile apps will run on Chromebooks, including notetaking service Evernote, video service Vine and newsreader Flipnote. Pichai says they are working more to bring Android and Chrome together for a more seamless experience.

Moving on to Chromebooks

PIchai returns to discuss Chromebooks, Google's line of low-cost laptops running the Chrome operating system. The laptops will work more closely with smartphones. Calls and text messages will pop up on the Chromebook. Even battery warnings appear on the laptop.

An update on Chromecast

Google says they have 6,000 developers registered working on 10,000 Chromecast apps. The HDMI dongle that attaches to the TV to stream Web video will now include an Apps page to easily find services to use on Chromecast. Users will also be able to stream to a Chromecast device through the cloud without access to a Wi-Fi network. The options will roll out to users later this year. Chromecast adds Backdrop, which users can personalize to a feed that works similarly to a computer screen saver for your TV. Users can now add their own photos. That's a giant picture frame. It also streams works of art and other relevant images in entertainment or weather.

If users see a cool image, they can use the voice command "what's on my Chromecast," to perform a search. Chromecast also works with the smartphone's camera, allowing users to mirror their view onto the TV.

Use phone, watch for Android TV

Burke says users will be able to control Android TV with either a smartphone or smartwatch. Users will also be able to play Google Play games on their TV, controlling action with their phone or tablet.

GOOGLE CONFIRMS ANDROID TV

"We're simply giving TV the same level of attention that smartphones and tablets have enjoyed," says Google's Dave Burke of Android TV. The smart TV interface follows the same design as other Google devices, and features apps such as Netflix, iHeartRadio and Eat24. They're ordered by how often viewers use them. There are also content recommendations. Core search is built directly into the interface, accessible by voice. Burke says Breaking Bad, which pulls up search results on the show, including the cast, YouTube clips and related shows. Search seems to work quite well. When Burke asks "who played Katniss in The Hunger Games," search pulls up Jennifer Lawrence, followed by a list of her movies and related actors.

Android Auto available later this year

Google confirms Android Auto will be available later this year. Forty partners including Ford, Honda and Volvo will work with Open Automotive Alliance, and 25 will feature Android Auto in their vehicles.

GOOGLE UNVEILS ANDROID AUTO

Google formally makes a jump into car technology with Android Auto, a version of the operating system for cars. The service will be fully voice-enabled. Product manager Andy Brenner is on stage in a demo car cockpit to showcase Android Auto. When he plugs the phone to his car, Android Auto connects to the car's navigation screen. The interface falls in line with watches and phones. Card-based, full of color. Apps such as Play Music have been tweaked to fit the car. Users can also use their voice or steering wheel controls to control music. Google Maps will be heavily integrated, too.

Android Auto also boasts voice-enabled messaging. Using the steering wheel's voice button, he says Reply, then speaks his messages. The voice controls sound very responsive. Google will launch a developers kit for Auto to create apps as easily as they would for mobile devices. Apps such as Pandora, Spotify and PocketCasts will work with Auto.

SAMSUNG, LG WATCHES COMING

The Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch will be available to order later today on the Play Store, says Singleton. The Moto 360 smartwatch, developed by Motorola, arrives later this summer.

Cooking with smartwatches

Another app example features Allthecooks, where users can bring up the recipe directly on their watch, viewing the ingredients and swiping left to right to check out instructions. Singleton notes all Android smartwatches will be water resistant.

More on Android smartwatches

Using LG's smartwatch as an example, the device features a touch-enabled color screen so users can swipe up and down to flip between notifications or left and right to get more details. It features a card-based interface similar to smartphones. The watch also supports voice commands. "Your watch and your phone stay in sync," says Singleton. Tasks completed on the watch sync immmediately with the phone. Watch wearers can use their voice to perform a search, take a note or sent a SMS reply to a contact calling their phone. Users can also swipe down on the screen to enable the "do not disturb" feature.

Third party apps will be a part of the watch experience. Singleton cites Pinterest, featuring a pin to a restaurant. The user is notified they are near the resturant, then swipes to the right to view it on a map and navigate to the location via Google Maps.

Watch out for wearables

David Singleton, Director of Engineering at Android, talks about one of the big topics at I/O: smartwatches. Google is working on Android Wear, a version of its operating system for wearable devices. It will support both square and circular watch faces. Singleton says the average user checks their Android phone 125 times a day, and Wear will let them stay on top of key messages while "letting you stay engaged with the people you're actually with."

A more secure Android device

Pichai returns to talk about innovation on the platform, including security. He boasts of improved malware protection, security patches through Google Play, factory reset protection in case a user's phone gets stolen or lost and universal data controls.

Bolstering your battery

Burke details Battery Historian for developers to give them a sense of the impact on battery. Hopefully that means Android smartphones and tablets with better battery life. There's also a Battery Saver that will turn off tasks to save battery.

'Unreal' performance

Burke takes developers through a demo of Unreal Engine on Android, which looks really sharp. It starts with two armored men preparing to fight before moving to an arcade machine to play Epic Games' Tappy Chicken.

A way to index apps

Shah turns to App Indexing, where installed apps will show up in search results. During a search for the restaurant Waterbar, Google results show an OpenTable link that will open directly in the app. Another example featuring the Ferry Building in San Francisco shows Google Earth results where users get a full tour of the location.

The mobile web movement

Avni Shah, Director of Product Management at Google, discusses updates to the mobile web experience. It uses cards similar to Google Now, which is available through its Search app. Recents in Android have been updated to include apps and Google Chrome pages.

Personal unlocking unveiled

Android developers will have access to personal unlocking, which uses voice prints, location and other features to easily unlock the phone. Burke shows an example where the phone recognizes his smartwatch and easily unlocks with a swipe. Without the watch, he must input a pin to verify his identity. Cool idea.

New Android features

Dave Burke, Director of Engineering at Android, moves through some of the features arriving to Android. Developers will have access to new animations and 3-D views with real-time shadows. On the phone, contacts include larger images and more color. Flipping between the dialer and contacts flows quickly. There's a "ripple touch effect" where a blue circle fading in and out of the screen as the user presses the number. Another example is Notifications, which will have "interactive access" at the lock screen. Android will analyze user behaviors to list the most important notifications at the top. Additional notifications are filed together like sheets of paper.

Gmail under 'Material Design'

Duarte uses email app Gmail as an example of the design idea. Fonts pop off the screen more, the app itself features more color. The app itself looks a lot cleaner, too.

Rethinking Android design

Matias Duarte, vice president of design at Google, talks about the concept "material design" for Android smartphones and tablets. It appears more vibrant and colorful. Duarte emphasizes the design adds depth and responds better to touch. Objects seem to move and flow elegantly. It boasts a lot more motion. The design features are part of the L Developer Preview for Android developers. Designers can also adapt design to fit across smartphone, tablet, computer screen and watch.

A look at Android One

Pichai breaks down Android One, a set of hardware reference platforms combined with a stock Android software experience aimed at emerging markets. An example of one phone is made my Micromax, and includes a 4.5-inch screen, removable SD card and dual SIM cards. The phone costs under $100. The program starts in India this fall.

Android dominance

Pichai talks about the success of Android, which has dominated shipment market share. He says there are more than 1 billion 30-day active users on Android. They sent 20 billion text messages and shoot 93 million selfies a day. Pichai also says they check their phones 100 billion times a day. He says tablet shipments are growing, too, accounting for 62% of global market share compared to 39% two years ago.

Pichai kicks things off

Sundar Pichai, the head of Android, Chrome and Apps, takes the stage to start the keynote. He reaches out to several "viewing parties" in London and Brazil. It looks like Pichai may be wearing a Google smartwatch. No surprise there.

Retro countdown

It appears Google is using a very unusual device to count down to the start of Google I/O. It features two giant wheels and a bowling ball, which I'm guessing slides down once the event starts. 4 minutes and counting.

Original story

Wearable devices will play a huge part in the conference, particularly eyewear Google Glass and the company's upcoming line of Android Wear smartwatches.

Also, Google may reveal details of a new TV set-top box running an updated version of Android for the television. The company has experienced some recent success on TV with the launch of the $35 Chromecast.